The Arizona Sentinel

Happy New Year Everyone

Well, the campaign is in overdrive, the folks are tuned in and paying attention.  And I’ve been running around Arizona collecting signatures,. I was in Williams Arizona on Monday and Tuesday and did really well. I have to share one story with you all about a young man I met in Williams,. This fella was 75 years old, first name is Warnell. And what a delightful fella. He was vision challenged so I had to place his hand on the proper line for him to sign,. I had about an hour before my next appointment so I sat down and we had a bit of a chat.
I asked Warnell if he was retired , of course I knew he was. He said, “ Yes Sir, I retired from the timber industry.” Well that opened a whole can of worms. I told Warnell of my intentions of taking control  of our forest away  from the federal government and bring back the timber industry. And put our folks back to work. You should have seen Warnells eyes light up . “ You mean it” he asked . I told him that I had been planning this over the past 4 years,. And that if it was ever going to happen it would be under my administration. It turns out that this young fella was a (grader),. He would grade the lumber as it was cut and  send it to the proper place for stacking and so forth. We talked for about an hour. He said he had been a grader for 26 years. Told me what he made his last year working at the mill. Not to shaby I told him.  He was a proud mill worker. We talked about control or prescribed burns as they call them these days.
One issue that has always bugged me since we moved out here in 2002 . Is the forest service insistence on doing these burns in the spring summer and fall.  Instead of in the dead of winter when there is snow on the  ground.
Boy did that light a fire under Warnell. He liked to jump off the couch and said “In our day we always did our burns when there was snow on the ground. He said “we never had these out of control burns like they have today.” I knew the answer to this, but I asked him anyway. I said “Why do they do that?” . He said “so they can spend all that dam money.  Its all about them he said , never mind the people here in Arizona that used to make their living in the timber industry.”  ” Dam Government ” he said.

Finally I asked ole Warnell , I said “When I take back our lands and natural resources from this federal government. Would you be interested in teaching a bunch of young bucks how to grade lumber?  A big  smile came over Warnell and he said,. “ I cant see that well any more but I can sure tell them what to look for.” . Why, you would have thought I just handed Warnell a million dollars.

I got up , and started for the door,. And Warnell said, “ You stay in touch now I want to know how your doing”

I told Warnell  “Sir, once Im in office I will work everyday to take back the land that Arizona should be managing. I will not rest until we have these lumber mills humming with big saws. And we have thousands of men and women working once again in the timber industry and all those off shoots of business that would be generated. I will see the day that we once again are cutting old growth pine, thinning, and rejuvenating the vibrant timber industry of the past. And saving whats left of our forest lands for future generations , to work in , play in and hunt in.